Monday, May 22, 2017

We have been deep in Chapter 3 "The Wandering of the North", but now finally begin the end game. The best thing I've done is pin a post map of the north (mine is from an old 3e era Dragon mag) and mark their explorations on with a red sharpie. It helps everyone keep track, especially as I've dropped all kinds of hooks and lore. I've used "Crashed Frozen Castle" from the DMs Guild, and "Dragon's Maw" a 5e module from Goodman Games. Now the group is pursuing the next phase in the grand events. At this point, the group is very powerful (levels 9-10), but increasingly aware of a threat greater even than a disorder of giants. It all seems to be a smokescreen for a plot to reignite the ancient feud between dragon and giant, with the civilizations of smallfolk caught in the middle.It's been a great campaign. At high level the player characters are only really threatened by large groups of giants, and they have accumulated great wealth and a magical arsenal, but they now have choices at all times about where to go. Still, it has been good to go back and forth between open world traveling and small dungeon delves, since it focuses the game. We have 8-9 players at times, so focus is a real issue.

Sessions #6-16

Reports were that two dragons, white and blue, crashed the castle in the Nether Mountains above Everlund. The Company of the Raven trekked to the Nether glacier, passed the orc town and snuck into the frost giants' great hall, obscured by druid magic. There they overheard the Jarl speaking to Blagothus, arguing over the correct course of action. The Jarl said he thought Blag's plan to unite the giants against the dragons was a mistake, that he was waiting for Storvald to find the Ring of Winter. Blagothus said he had been betrayed. His sky castle crashed. He blamed dragons. There was one out there on the glacier. The group withdrew and proposed to travel across the frozen wastes to find this crashed sky castle and see what treasures might be recovered. They encountered the dangers of the icy plain: hunted by Remorazze (fiery ice worms) who nearly slew a hero or two.Making friends with a dwarven enclave on the glacier, the heroes were given skis and taught to use them, thus making their travels swifter. They visited a village of Yakmen, ruled by a crazed wizard whom the perhaps remembered from dark Barovia. They slew more worms of ice and fire on their way to the crash site where they found the brooding cloud giant Blagothus staring at his ruined fortress. He warned them not to enter the place, hinting darkly at greater forces at work in the realms. Forces set in motion by the fall of the house of Hekaton and the Maelstrom Court.

Disregarding the doomsaying giant, the company crept toward the castle only to be set upon by a massive, white-scaled dragon, but these heroes are mighty in sword and spell. They not only drove off the beast, they chased it down and finished it off. Within the crashed castle, the group traveled into the iceberg beneath the fortress, discovering a massive cavern, and within a sailing ship held aloft by a dragon scale air balloon, floating within the iceberg while purple cloaked men scurried to load the hold with the contents of the dragon's hoard left unguarded! The heroes attacked, taking command of the ship and escaping even as they were bombarded by giants throwing rocks. The ship ascended into the sky above the glacier to find an army of orcs and giants massing on the ice. What their next move would be, they did not stay to find out. The Company of the Raven set a course for Everlund.In Everlund, the company made repairs on the damaged ship and trained a pair of local soldiers to help crew the ship. It was decided to head south toward Waterdeep. Tales of starvation were attributed to the gluttony of the Hill Giants in the Dessarin Valley. Here was a chance to do some good! But traveling by airship can be difficult. A storm blew them off course, over the vastness of the High Forest, where a broad winged green wyrm came winging up to do battle. Again, the heroes rebuffed the beast, and chased it to it's lair, a series of caverns beneath the forest stream. Tense battles against double headed serpents, the medusa daughter of the dragon and finally Chlorothra herself ended with the Company of the Raven claiming a hoard beyond their wildest dreams. Wealth undreamt of. Now the company returned to Everlund again. A change of plan had them heading west to meet the giant Harshnag, to go with him to seek the Oracle of Amman, in a place called the Eye of the All-Father. With a brief stop outside of Mithril Hall, the company finally docked at Mirabar, arranging to pay a handsome fee to keep their ship safe as they traveled up the Khundun Valley, into the Spine of the World. On this trek signs of Fire Giants were seen, but avoided. Finally, after traversing high mountain passes swaddled in polar bear hides, they came upon the soaring pillars of the Temple itself. There was no door. Howling winds blew ice and snow deep into the massive hall, wide enough for a host to march a ten horse column, tall enough for long icicles to hang like lances from the ceiling without disturbing the grim head of Harshnag Giantkiller, the blue frost giant who had guided the Company all this way. Deep within mountain a sound burst forth, low and throbbing, the sound of massive vocal chords thrumming guttural prayers to the All Father that compelled the listener to bow down before his awesome power. The singers were revealed: a half dozen gray pilgrims, 22 feet tall, their voices drowning the independent thoughts of all before them. The warrior priest Apollo succumbed the ancient authority and was once again turned to stone. His companions battled on without him...

The Castle of Dreams

This castle whereonto I fleeWhen life and time hang wearily.Yet though so far, 'tis strangely nigh:Within the breathing of a sighOne gains the walls secure and highOf the castle of dreams.

Divinely beautiful and great,Of pearl each dome and tower, and gate,It stands, a hold of kingly state.There gyving Time and Space are not,And cares of Life are all forgot.No breath of restless change is broughtTo the Castle of Dreams.

I walk each wondrous court and hall,Their varied treasures mine at call,For there I am the lord af all.If gold and gems of land and sea,And broad estates were offered me,I would not take them for the keyOf the Castle of Dreams.